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 Replies: 10 / Views: 600 |
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New Member
United States
35 Posts |
As a new collector, I am finding it somewhat difficult to reconcile the prices on ebay with the prices in price guides. It seems like a lot of times, coins on ebay are cheaper. And so I find myself thinking I have come across a deal, when really it is no such thing. Why is that? Is it because a lot of ebay coins are details grade, whether they say it in the ad or not? Or are price guide (PCGS, NGC, coinbook etc) prices only for graded coins? Where anything that is ungraded sells for less than the printed price? Maybe all of the above? Thanks for your help. Edit to piggyback on that. I was looking at some of the coins at the mint. For instance, the Morgan and Peace dollars. List price is something like $176. But then you go to these price guides and MS63 is at $236. So why wouldn't people just buy these mint coins, get them graded, and make a profit? Are coins from the mint not always MS63+? Or how does that work? Edited by VasoB
02/04/2026 12:32 pm
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Moderator
 United States
187530 Posts |
Price guides are only guides. Completed sales on ebay are going to be more accurate. The price is always going to be what a buyer and seller agree on at one specific moment in time. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
615 Posts |
VasoB, A great question. Numismatic coin pricing is determined by many factors, but ultimately it is what a person(s) are willing to pay. Having said that, there are a number of sources that you can use to help guide you. 1) ebay SOLD listings are a good source to use as a guide for how a coin or numismatic item has sold on that platform. Also check recent auction results at Great Collections and Heritage Auctions as these are also a good source for recent sales. 2) The Greysheet is the number one resource for evaluating coins in various grades. These are considered "wholesale" prices but often are close to sale prices as well. 3) The RedBook Quarterly is a good "retail" guide, although updated every three months (which is fine since the vast majority of graded coins that sell for beyond precious metals value do not dramatically shift in price) 4) Remember that these are guides and resources, a coin's value is greatly affected by its condition, toning, if it is raw, TPG, CAC stickered, etc. What is visually appealing to one person may be less so to another-therefore "worth" more or less. 5) Do not use PCGS or NGC price guides as they are highly inflated. One persons opinion, but hope it is helpful. Edited by Freespeech57
02/04/2026 2:48 pm
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New Member
 United States
35 Posts |
Thanks for the input jbuck and FreeSpeech57!
That all makes sense and is valuable input. Completed auctions makes tons of sense for the most current prices. And I appreciate the direction to those couple of guides FreeSpeech.
And then regarding my question about the mint, it seems like the simple answer is that a 2025 Morgan Proof at PR63 is not really going to sell at $236 because that is an inflated price.
I was wondering if that was the case that these grading services inflate the price. Just from a grading price standpoint, it benefits them to have higher prices on more coins to push more grading out of the economy service and into the higher tiers.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
6451 Posts |
Never trust the price guides on the third-party websites, particularly for rare coins. Most of the TPG price estimates seem to be done as a percentage of MS65 or MS66 coins. They will take a tiny handful of transactions for the good quality mint state coins, average them, and then fill in the gaps on the lower grades. For common coins with huge numbers of transactions, the numbers might make some sense. For rare coins, their automated estimates are usually worthless. Sold prices on ebay, Great Collections, Heritage for recent auctions a better indicator of current market demand. Even so, rare coin auctions can be wildly successful or surprising bombs, even for the same variety. The asking prices can likewise be sane or completely bonkers. You can ask folks here for opinions on prices for buying and selling. It's worth reading some threads on how to investigate your own prices, and developing your own judgment. |
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New Member
United States
35 Posts |
Greatly appreciate the feedback Brandmeister.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7933 Posts |
Given the current volatility of silver price, I would be very careful assessing the value of ANY coin for which bullion price is a major component of the value. That said, the two most recent 2025-S Morgans in PR69 that sold on ebay went for $110. There is a small premium for PR70, as the most recent couple sold at $138 and152. Statistically speaking that's a small sample, but larger samples will have a component of the silver price fluctuation. I don't see a price like $239 anywhere for single coins. I'm personally biased against slabbing, but I don't collect coins like these. I think gambling on slabbing is a game only for the experts, not for novices who are likely to lose and then develop a bad taste for the hobby for a reason that has nothing to do with normal collecting. Edited by tdziemia
02/05/2026 1:05 pm
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New Member
United States
35 Posts |
Thanks for the input tdziemia. Yeah, I am not really trying to buy any silver at the moment. More just looking around and trying to learn. But that all makes good sense to me. I don't think I have a coin yet that is worth slabbing. Not sure if I ever will! My path was this - I got into metal detecting last spring. That heightened my interest in silver, and I started buying over the summer, though I already had some stashed. Which then heightened my interest in coins. It was an avalanche effect   I got pretty hooked on all of the above haha. I bought a lot of sterling and junk silver coins over the summer. So my average is at a decent spot. Now I am just planning on waiting for the dust to settle and see where we are at in determining whether I want to sell anything at all. |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Rarely, do I do price research from ebay information before deciding on a purchase of a similar coin. I first have to consider if the ebay information is relevant, and the presence of too many scammers in this area tend to scare me away. |
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Valued Member
United States
216 Posts |
Quote:I am finding it somewhat difficult to reconcile the prices on ebay with the prices in price guides. It seems like a lot of times, coins on ebay are cheaper. And so I find myself thinking I have come across a deal, when really it is no such thing. Why is that? Price guides are just that: guides. Nothing's set in stone, and there are a lot of variables other than technical grade. There are plenty of deals out there, whether online or at shows... but you have to have a lot of knowledge of what you're looking at. If you're new, it'll take years to learn the ropes; in that respect, it's no different than valuing classic cars or artwork. Quote:Is it because a lot of ebay coins are details grade, whether they say it in the ad or not? Are they? If you can't tell, you should pick up some books & keep learning! I also recommend hitting up some coin shows & talking to people, including dealers. In the world of coins, knowledge is power... but there's also a sucker born every minute. Quote:
Or are price guide (PCGS, NGC, coinbook etc) prices only for graded coins? Where anything that is ungraded sells for less than the printed price? Maybe all of the above? I assume TP G price guides are intended for TP G coins. All general guides such as the Re dbook should have front matter defining what they consider to "make a grade," and it's always an ideal specimen (grade, strike, surfaces, eye appeal). Use the guides for guidance, and don't be afraid to pay more than guide for a really nice example -- just look at auction records compared to price guides. Edited by samoth
02/06/2026 8:22 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
18630 Posts |
it sounds like you are fairly new to collecting. a couple tips for you when purchasing raw coins photos can be deceptive. lighting and angles can hide all kind of issues. if you can get closeup photos of a coin it would help seeing many of these both PCGS or NGC price guides post auction prices for slabbed coins which are going to be higher than a raw coin as they are authenticated and the grade is more standard as there are 3 levels of grading that takes place. they are not foolproof. always grade the coin not the slab learn the different ways a coin can be cleaned it will literally save you a lot of $$ over time when purchasing raw there are some coin series that are more difficult to grade. Buffalo nickels, bust halves are the two top. if you are buying these do your homework first and know the series for pricing. Red Book is ok for a general guide but its only published yearly so the values are not that accurate. ebay sales not listings along with numismedia.com in conjunction with Red Book would give you pretty good idea but keep in mind that you need to have a fairly accurate grade no matter what the source and a coins value is only what someone is willing to pay happy collecting |
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Replies: 10 / Views: 600 |
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Posted 02/04/2026 2:47 pm
